The Prince and the Sponge
by SOLmaster
Summary: When a prince comes to town, SpongeBob is surprised to see how much they look alike. Getting an idea, the prince tricks SpongeBob into switching places with him. The prince enjoys the commoner life while SpongeBob finds the royal life quite stressful and learns of a dangerous secret the prince is hiding. Read and Review
1. Chapter 1: Imagination

_SOLmaster is here with another SpongeBob SquarePants story. If you are thinking the title of this story looks familiar then you're right. I actually had a SpongeBob story of this title already on here and it was a straight up parody of The Prince and the Pauper. However, I deleted it and decided I would rewrite this to give it a more original plot. Though to tell the truth, after I finished my last story, Keeper of the Spatula, I wanted to write something more original and simpler, but I could not think of anything entertaining enough. So I wrote this instead, but I can assure it'll be entertaining and it'll definitely have some originality in it._

_So without further delay, here's the first chapter of the story…_

**The Prince and the Sponge**

Chapter 1: Imagination

It was a beautiful morning under the Pacific Ocean in Bikini Bottom, and while it was normal by the city's bystanders, it was another fun day for SpongeBob SquarePants. After waking up and eating breakfast, the sponge went outside on his front yard to play with his best friend, Patrick Star.

A trumpet sound was heard, being blown by SpongeBob's handy small trumpet as he rode on top of Gary, who had reigns tide around him. SpongeBob wore a knight's helmet as he shouted, "Spring forth thy noble steed and let us meet with our prince!" he gave the reigns a flick while Gary responded with a, "Meow." Before slithering forward with his owner riding on top of him.

On what looked like a decorated lawn chair was Patrick, wearing a bathrobe and a crown made out of newspaper. He sat there with a bored frown until SpongeBob and the snail approached him.

"It's about time." Patrick said in an angry tone. "The prince does not like to be kept waiting." He pointed at SpongeBob and yelled, "TWENTY YEARS IN THE DUNGEON!"

When Gary stopped, SpongeBob gave a courteous bow from atop of his steed and responded, "My apologies, Your Majesty. The traffic was so bad it moved at a _snail's pace_. Ha ah ah ah ah!"

"Hmm…" Patrick hummed as he rubbed his chin. "Seeing as you are my noble knight, the prince has made an acceptance and relinquished his previous sentence."

"Bless you, my prince." SpongeBob said as he hopped off of Gary and bowed.

"Why? I didn't sneeze."

"Meow." Gary said as he rolled his eyes.

SpongeBob then took out a rolled up piece of paper from his pocket and unfolded it to read out loud, "I come bearing news of an army of nematodes that come to invade your humble kingdom."

"Aah!" Patrick screamed in panic as he sprang from the chair. "What do we do, SpongeBob? I love my kingdom!"

SpongeBob smiled calmly and placed a hand on his friend's shoulder, "At ease, Prince Patrick. As your trusted captain of the royal guards, I have just the weapon to take out thy enemy."

He signaled to a perfectly handmade catapult with an also homemade pie on the launcher. Patrick's eyes widen at the sight of it. "Ooooh!" he turned to SpongeBob and instructed, "You may fire when ready, loyal subject."

"Yes, Your Majesty." SpongeBob responded with a salute.

But then the two broke character when they excitedly shouted simultaneously, "Secret Handshake!" and proceeded to slap their right hands together, slap their left hands together, overhead high-five with both their hands, spit a wad of saliva on their right hand and shake, and finally body slam.

SpongeBob then ran over to the catapult and pulled the string, firing the pie through the air. However, he did not calculate the trajectory of the catapult and the predictability of the target became obvious when Squidward came out of his house in his bathrobe to get the morning paper.

As Squidward took a sip of his coffee, the side of his face was suddenly splattered with pie, causing him to drop his coffee on the floor, breaking the cup into pieces.

"Long live the prince!" SpongeBob cheered with his fist held in the air.

"Long live me!" Patrick cheered as well.

As Squidward wiped the pie bits off his head, he glared in hatred at his two neighbors and asked, "What are you two idiots doing?"

"Patrick and I are playing Castles and Knights." SpongeBob explained giddily.

"SpongeBob's the knight." Patrick pointed out. "I'm the prince."

"You wanna play with us?"

"You can be my servant…or my court jester…or my servant who is my court jester."

"Thanks, but no thanks, nits of the round table." Squidward angrily replied. "But fine of you to catapult your baked goods at me right after I just took a shower."

But SpongeBob seemed to ignore Squidward's whining and curiously asked, "Hey Squidward, how come Bikini Bottom doesn't have any royalty running it."

"Well, funny you should ask, SpongeBob." Squidward explained as he looked at his newspaper. "You see, it's obvious that Bikini Bottom is too much of a hick town to have anyone ruling it or even be worthy of being in the presence of a king, queen, or-" but then he stops as his eyes widen in shock as he sees the front page of the newspaper. "Prince!"

"Hey, I'm a prince." Patrick said, pointing at his homemade crown. "I think I make a pretty good prince."

SpongeBob got a small smile as he mentioned, "Honestly, you tend to go a little mad with power in the arms of royalty."

Patrick crossed his arms defiantly and responded, "I only go mad if you run out of ammunition, lowly subject."

SpongeBob reached behind him and pulled over a wooden basket of backed pie that was to be used to shoot more invaders with the catapult. "I stand corrected."

When Patrick grabbed a pie out of the basket, Squidward shouted to them, "You two don't know anything about princes! Haven't you read the paper this morning?"

SpongeBob and Patrick peer over Squidward's shoulders to see what the octopus was going on about when they see the headline, "**Prince of Luau Bottom to Visit Bikini Bottom**"

"The actual prince of Luau Bottom is coming to Bikini Bottom." Squidward said in excitement. "It can't be possible."

"Luau Bottom has a prince?" SpongeBob questioned.

Patrick pointed to himself with a happy smile. "I'm a prince." He said again.

"This is a _real_ prince, you ignorant buffoons." Squidward bitterly pointed out. "The royal prince of Luau Bottom and heir to the throne has never been seen by the public eye. Rumor has it that he travels around the sea for reasons unknown and it would seem that Bikini Bottom is one of his destinations."

"Wow," SpongeBob said with his eyes glowing big in excitement. "A real prince coming through Bikini Bottom." He turned to Patrick with even more excitement. "Just think of it, Patrick. We can actually meet a real prince. Maybe we can get his autograph or get him to play Castles and Knights with us."

"Dream on, SpongeBob." Squidward said with a smirk. "There's no way the prince would be interested in meeting village idiots like you two." As he walked back into his house, he began to chuckle. "Heh heh heh, village idiots."

Once Squidward slammed the front door of his house, SpongeBob turned to Patrick and asked, "Wouldn't it be cool to be a real prince? We'd get to live in big castles, and wear fancy robes…"

"And sleep in big cozy beds…" Patrick added.

"And wear big crowns on our heads…"

"And eat pizza and cookies and ice-cream!"

"Patrick, we can already do all that stuff." SpongeBob reminded.

The starfish raised his index finger and pointed out, "But they would be _royal_ pizza, cookies, and ice-cream." And started gorging on SpongeBob's homemade pie, not realizing that as a prince, he certainly didn't have the manners of one.

This made SpongeBob laugh while Patrick finished the whole pie in no more than six seconds. Gary then slithered over to his owner as his stomach began to growl. "Meow," the snail said with a hungry look.

SpongeBob bent down and pet him. "Aw, that's okay, Gary. I'm hungry too. Why don't we all go inside and have a little snack?"

"About time. These pies tastes kinda burnt at the bottom" Patrick said, throwing the empty pie tin over his shoulder, until he raised his right hand and the two friends both shouted, "Secret Handshake!"

Both slap their right hands together, slap their left hands together, overhead high-five with both their hands, spit a wad of saliva on their right hand and shake, and finally body slam.

Gary just rolled his eyes again and said in a dull tone, "Meow."

At this, Patrick pointed at Gary and yelled, "TWO HUNDRED TWENTY YEARS IN THE DUNGEON!"

_Playing make-believe is always a fun pastime, especially when it'll lead to a later encounter that will have an effect on you in the future. Hope you enjoyed it so far and stick around for the next chapter that will certainly get things going!_


	2. Chapter 2: Seeing Double

_Last time, SpongeBob was excited about meeting a real prince. He'll be even more excited about being a real prince._

_Enjoy the next chapter…_

Chapter 2: Seeing Double

In the town of Bikini Bottom, the sounds of trumpets were heard and a caravan of seahorses being ridden by knights marched through Bikini Bottom with a large carriage being pulled by seahorses following in the middle. Many crowds of sea creatures were gathered on the sidewalk as they watch and cheer at the royal brigade. From inside the carriage, an old blue fish with a large white mustache poke his head out from the window and waved to the crowd.

Among the crowd was news reporter, Perch Perkins, "You see it here, folks." He announced to the camera. "Many have gathered here today in Bikini Bottom to witness the arrival of the royal heir to the throne of Luau Bottom. But many are wondering will we finally see the prince's identity."

The news report was being viewed inside the Krusty Krab on a small TV hanging from the ceiling. Mr. Krabs, Squidward, and SpongeBob were watching in anticipation and excitement.

"This is like a dream come true." Squidward said as he sighed longingly. "High class sophistication and culture coming this way. I could just die."

"I hear ya, Mr. Squidward." Mr. Krabs agreed until he reacted the same way. "High class means high fortune, and fortune means money. Everyone knows them royal folk are loaded with the stuff."

"A real prince who rules the land with kindness and fairness." SpongeBob said as he stared longingly while leaning through the window of the kitchen. "Patrick and I could have so much fun with him."

Then on the news, Perch Perkins announces, "As the royal caravan moves past the city, it appears to now be going past Seashell Drive."

Mr. Krabs gasped and realized, "That's in the direction of the Krusty Krab." Dollar signs suddenly appear in his eyes as he adds, "Royal folk have to eat too." Then he called out, "Attention Krusty Krew! We need to get this place spiffed up for a royal lunch rush!"

"Royalty!" SpongeBob shouted in excitement.

"SpongeBob!" Mr. Krabs called out. "Get to work on making dozens of krabby patties!"

"Aye aye, sir!" SpongeBob saluted before ducking his head back into the kitchen.

"What are you gonna do?" Squidward asked his boss.

Mr. Krabs took out a can of black paint. "I have some prices to raise."

On one of the tables where a mother fish was feeding her infant in a booster chair, she failed to notice the krabby patty in front of her suddenly sprout little legs and hop off the table. However, upon closer inspection, one could see it was easily Plankton lugging the krabby patty on his back in another attempt to steal one for his restaurant.

"Hope you enjoy the royal festivities, Krabs." Plankton said with a joyous smirk, "Because soon you'll be celebrating your _royal defeat_."

But before he could walk out the door, the krabby patty suddenly lifted into the air with Plankton still holding onto it. "I'll be taking that, Plankton." Mr. Krabs said proudly as he held the patty.

"Krabs!" Plankton shouted in surprise. "You're supposed to be gawking over the royalties coming."

"Even the royal folk can't shield you from makin' off with me secret formula." Mr. Krabs explained. "And since I'm in a good mood, I'll let you off easy this time."

So Mr. Krabs flicked Plankton out the door and as he flew back toward the Chum Bucket, Plankton yelled, "CURSE YOU, MR. KRABS!"

* * *

Meanwhile at the caravan that paraded through Bikini Bottom, inside the royal carriage was the prince, who was a yellow sponge with blue eyes and buck teeth, wearing royal red garments and a small crown. In fact, this prince looked exactly like SpongeBob. He sat inside the carriage with his arm resting on the window and his cheek on his palm as he sighed with a bored expression.

Inside the carriage as well sitting across from the prince was the old aged fish with a white moustache and wearing a black suit. He noticed the prince's expression and asked in concern, "Is there something wrong, Your Highness? You are not worried about your ill father, are you?"

The prince spoke in a voice identical to SpongeBob's but with a British accent, "We have been traveling for two days, Wenston. I most certainly would love to survey the places we've seen and perhaps mingle with the peasant folk we pass by."

Wenston chuckled and responded, "Oh, Your Highness, don't try and pull that old trick again. You know it's not in your position to trot around all willy-nilly; and besides, the orders of your father are to come straight home after we pass through Bikini Bottom."

"Yes, yes, can you really blame me for trying?" The prince responded in disappointment. "Father would not have me doing this if it weren't for his concern. Sometimes, I desire to just get away from all this." But then his stomach began growling. "I also desire some nutrition."

"I understand, Sire. I'll let the driver know." Wenston then turned around and moved the curtain window behind. "Find a place where we can get some food for the prince." He told the carriage driver.

* * *

Soon, the caravan reached the closest restaurant they can find, which just so happened to be the Krusty Krab. Inside the restaurant, Mr. Krabs began laughing madly as his eyes lit of with dollar signs.

From behind the cash register, Squidward was trying to get a peek out the window. "Where is he?" he wondered. "I can't see the prince."

Suddenly, the front doors opened up and the guards entered first as they formed a straight line as a red carpet happened to roll out, stopping in front of Mr. Krabs, who stared curiously at it. The one who entered and walked across the carpet was Wenston, who stopped in front of Mr. Krabs.

"Good afternoon, sir." He greeted as he bowed with the tip of his hat. "My royal traveling party and I were hoping to purchase some food at this eating establishment."

Mr. Krabs gave a chuckle again until Squidward approached with an anxious smile. "You must be the prince." He said with an eager smile. "You even more sophisticated than I anticipated."

Wenston chuckled as he kindly explained, "Oh, you must have me confused for His Majesty. The prince is actually waiting in the carriage. Unfortunately, he won't be joining us. Though he is rather hungry and we would like to pick up some food for His Majesty so we can be on our way."

Hearing that he won't be learning the prince's identity, Squidward frowned in disappointment and walked away.

But outside, the carriage door on the side facing away from the restaurant opened up and the prince quickly and quietly stepped out and began to sneak away. Once he was on the other side of the building, he sighed, "Finally…I thought I'd never get away."

From the back door of the Krusty Krab, SpongeBob was carrying a large trash can full of garbage as he hummed to himself while walking toward the dumpster. After he dumped all the garbage out, he began walking back inside. However, the can obstructed his view and he failed to notice the prince walking backwards toward him, who in turn failed to notice the large trash can approaching from behind.

The two sponges then collided as SpongeBob's trash can flew onto the prince's head. SpongeBob crash backwards into another trash can that landed on his head as well. "What the devil-fish is going on here?" The prince asked as he stood up with the can on his head. "Is this some kind of joke?"

The two sightlessly walked toward each other until they bump their cans together and fell backwards onto the ground which caused the cans to fall off their heads. As they sit up, dazed, they soon catch sight of each other, and their eyes widen in shock at seeing the strange resemblance. They both slowly sat up at the same time and stared at each other while lifting one hand up and took a step to the left and then two the right at the exact same time as if they were looking at their own reflection in a mirror.

"You look like me!" They both shouted in unison. "Wait a minute!" Then they both fell backwards in shock.

The prince was the first to get up as he looked at SpongeBob again. "Are you a real beggar boy?"

"A what?" SpongeBob asked in confusion, never hearing of such an old term before.

The prince then pulled SpongeBob onto his feet. "Tell me, do all commoners dress in such a ridiculous fashion?"

"Who?"

"Of all days when I choose to make off from my cavalcade, I actually meet a peasant who looks just like he could be of royal blood like me."

Hearing the word 'royal', SpongeBob begins to realize who it is he's talking to. "Wait a second…" he then gets a huge smile on his face, "You must be the prince everyone's been talking about!"

"That would be correct, my dear identical gentleman." He then puts an arm around SpongeBob's shoulders. "Come. Let us discuss this in my quarters."

* * *

Inside the Krusty Krab, a guard was carrying away a bag of food as Mr. Krabs totaled Wenston off at the front counter. "Let's see. That's two krabby patties, two sides of kelp fries, a diet and a regular kelp cola, and one order of Coral Bits. That'll be 400 dollars."

"400?" But Wenston was surprised by the total. "Isn't that a little pricey for commoner food?"

"Well, you ain't a commoner, are ye?" Mr. Krabs said with a smug smile while Wenston frowned in annoyance.

* * *

Inside the carriage, the prince and SpongeBob sat next to each other as they shared in conversation about their daily lives. "Wow," SpongeBob said, trying to hold in his excitement as much as he can. "It must be so great being a prince."

"To tell you the truth, SpongeBob, it is quite dreadful." The prince responded to SpongeBob. "It's always breakfast at seven, lessons till noon, and bedtime at nine. And if that's not the case, my father will send me away for a week- if it hadn't been for that little incident."

But SpongeBob wasn't really listening since he was trying to think of all the things he wanted to ask the prince. "Do you really fire catapults at enemy kingdoms and eat pizza and ice-cream all day?"

The prince stared dully at SpongeBob and replied, "I've never heard of such a thing. I'm not allowed junk food. Oh, how I envy your freedom, being able to go where you like without guards following you, and never having to be the target of-"

"Are you saying you wanna trade places with me?" SpongeBob suddenly asked. "To know what a commoner's life is like?"

"What?" the prince asked as his eyes widen.

"You must be so sad, lonely, and bored in your palace that you wanna get out and see the world and know what it's like to be normal for one day of your life." While the prince was still confused by this observation, his eyes suddenly widen with an idea. "Oh, it's just like this story my mom used to read to me."

"Why…yes." The prince said with a grin. "I do desire all of what you just spoke of. Being able to play all day long and stay up as late as I like and frolic with all the little peasants." The prince then notices his and SpongeBob's reflection in the window and he suddenly pulled his doppelganger close as he took off SpongeBob's uniform hat and replaced it with his crown. "Yes…That's it!"

From outside, the carriage begins to rock back and forth until the door opens and the prince jumps out, now wearing SpongeBob's clothes and uniform hat. "This is perfect." The prince said as he admired his new attire. "Simply perfect."

SpongeBob poked his head out of the carriage, now wearing the prince's outfit and looking baffled by all this. "Now hold on a minute! Are you sure about all this?"

"Why, of course. We're living each other's lives for the day, just as you suggested." The prince reminded, but seemed to be wearing a smug smile.

"But how am I supposed to be a prince!" SpongeBob cried out. "What will I say? How will I act?"

"To govern is easy." The prince simply explained. "Just say one of two things, 'It's a grand idea, I'm glad I thought of it.' And 'Guards, seize him!' And if I get into any trouble I'll have this." He showed SpongeBob a gold ring embedded with his family symbol around his finger. "Well, SpongeBob, good luck." He called as he turned away, but then muttered, _"You'll need it."_

"But you'll remember to come back, right?" but the prince slammed the carriage door closed and walked away while SpongeBob stared out the window with a nervous frown on his face. "Good luck too, Your Majesty."

_Who has the easier life? And why would they be so willing to give it up? Hope you enjoy it so far and leave a review._


	3. Chapter 3: Prince Out of Water

_Here's the next chapter of The Prince and the Sponge. Last time, the switch was made and now it's time to see how things are progressing on one side._

_See for yourself…_

Chapter 3: Prince Out of Water

After a lunch stop, the prince's royal caravan began to leave the Krusty Krab for their long trip back to their kingdom. However, they were unaware that the only thing they were missing was the prince himself. The prince, disguised as his twin, SpongeBob, watched from behind the Krusty Krab as the group leaves. Then when it was safe, he runs out from his hiding spot and cheers in joy.

"I did it!" he cried out while jumping up and down. "I DID IT! The commoner fell for it and now I'm free!"

"SpongeBob!" Patrick called out from a distance as he ran toward the prince.

"Here it is." The prince said quietly as he dusted himself off and gave a wise smile. "My first encounter with the peasantry."

"About time I found you, SpongeBob." Patrick said as he stood in front of the prince. "Why didn't you tell me the prince was coming to the Krusty Krab. I'd have brought my camera."

The prince quickly came to the conclusion that whoever this starfish was, he was an acquaintance of the SpongeBob character he was impersonating. The prince had to think of something and fast before he blew his cover. "Yes, it is I, SpongeBob SquarePants." The prince said in a refined voice. "Now I can be quite forgetful when it comes to names, can you give me yours?"

"What's wrong with the one you already got?" Patrick said in a confused voice. "I thought we agreed not to trade names again since it's too confusing."

The prince narrowed his eyes as he stared dully at the starfish. "Are all commoners as bright as you?" he asked sarcastically.

"Oh, I get it." Patrick responded with a smile. "It's 'Be Sophisticated Day'. Alright, enough of that. Secret handshake!"

Without warning, Patrick slaps the prince's face with his right hand and slaps the prince's face with his left hand, and then slams both his hands on the prince's head. While the prince stood there with a dizzy expression. Patrick obliviously continued on by spitting a wad of saliva on his right hand and grabbing the prince's right hand which gave him a disgusted look as he takes his hand away, leaving a trail of spit connected with Patrick's palm. To top it all off, Patrick body slams the prince, sending him flying into a large boulder.

The prince waddled over dizzily from the rock as he muttered, "That'll do, Sir."

"When do I get to say something fancy next?" Patrick asked, impatiently.

The prince shook his head to snap out of his daze and grew an annoyed frowned. "I am completely unaware if this is some kind of 'greeting ritual' you peasant folk perform, but I will not partake in anymore of your nonsense. Now if you'll excuse me, my good man, I have more important matters I must attend to."

As the prince began to walk away, Mr. Krabs suddenly opened the front doors and spots the prince, "There ya are, SpongeBob, we need you back inside." He grabbed the prince by his arm and pulled him inside the restaurant.

While Patrick was still puzzled by SpongeBob's stuffy behavior, something soon came to mind that interested him, "That'll do, Sir." He chuckled at the funny phrase the prince said and walked away carelessly.

Inside the Krusty Krab, the prince pulled Mr. Krabs's claw off of him and snapped, "What is the meaning of this, crustacean? Are you with the peasantry law enforcements?"

"Don't go speaking to your commanding officer like that, boy." Mr. Krabs scolded. "Just because them royal folk were here doesn't mean you get to act like them. The one good thing about them is they pay a lot of money." He chuckled wickedly at the memory of his last customers.  
The prince rolled his eyes and commented, "Are all you peasants concerned about wealth?"

"Anyway, lad, you need to get back to work. Make sure this place is functioning for other not so wealthy customers."

"Work?" the prince questioned with a raised eyebrow. "Isn't that the servants' job?"

But Mr. Krabs ignored him and handed the prince a broom. "Start by cleaning this place up a bit."

When he walked away, the prince held the item in his hands and stared at it in amazement. "Is this a broom?" he asked as he held the item at different angles. "I've never seen this object up close before, let alone held one. Is this what peasants use to keep the palace clean?" he tossed it on the floor, but frowned upon seeing it lie there. "It doesn't even do anything."

"SpongeBob!" Squidward called from the cash register. "Have you finished sweeping this place up yet?"

But suddenly, the prince springs toward him and stares at the cash register. "Is this where folks keep their money?" he asked as he ran a finger across the machine. "How do they even get it out?"

Instead of being concerned by 'SpongeBob's' strange behavior, Squidward just shoved the prince away from him. "Will you quit violating my personal space and just do your job?"

The prince frowned angrily and picked up the discarded broom. Though he had never cleaned before in his life, he ran the straw side across the floor, sweeping the dust off, and noticed he seemed to be making progress. As the prince glared at Squidward, he then noticed the magazine he was carelessly reading.

"Is that Phineas Flippers you're reading about?" the prince asked the octopus.

Squidward looked at the picture of the dancer on the cover of the magazine and he dully answered, "Yes."

"He does have amazing style and grace in his performance, doesn't he?" the prince pointed out fondly.

Squidward raised an eyebrow at the prince's accurate description. "And how would you know this?"

The prince chuckled and responded, "Why, I had met the chap last summer when I took a trip to Flounderdale during one of his performances."

"No way." Squidward said in disbelief and amazement.

"Oh yes." The prince said as he continued sweeping. "He's quite a remarkable gentleman. Quite sophisticated and quite the dancer."

While Squidward was still impressed by the story the prince was telling, he soon shook it off in disbelief. After all, this was SpongeBob he was speaking to. There was no way he took a trip like that all the way out of town just to see sophisticated ballet performance. But before he could ponder about SpongeBob's sudden knowledge of the arts, a customer suddenly approached the counter, "One krabby patty please."

"SpongeBob!" Squidward called out. "You got an order: One krabby patty."

"Krabby what?" the prince questioned. "What is this krabby patty you speak of?"

He then sees a krabby patty on a customer's table and snatches it without question. "Hey!" the man snapped. "I wasn't finished yet."

But the prince ignored him and stared at the sandwich curiously. "Is this what you call food?" then he took a bite out of it and chewed with an unimpressed expression. "I don't see the big deal." But then his eyes widen and begin to sparkle as he savors the taste in his mouth. He swallows and smiles widely. "Good heavens, this is delectable."

"SpongeBob!" Mr. Krabs yelled as he marched toward him, looking disappointed. "What in blazes makes you think you can eat me profits?"

But the prince interrupted him and said, "Quick, sir. You must tell me. Who is the maker of this delightfully delicious treat?"

While Mr. Krabs seemed weirded out by SpongeBob's behavior, he instead handed the prince a spatula and answered, "He's you. Now get cooking on those patties."

The prince stared at the cooking utensil with fascination. "What is this object? A sword?" but Mr. Krabs just shoved him into the kitchen. "Get to work!"

"Work?" the prince questioned as he looked around and then ran his finger across the dirty grill. "I have chefs at the palace who do all the cooking for me." He then called to the window. "You sir, tentacled one!"

Squidward turned his head toward the window to look at the prince. "Are you talking to me?" he asked, looking annoyed.

"Are you expecting me to be the one to cook the food?"

While Squidward seemed surprised by this question, he merely took it as the fry cook acting lazy- he would know what that was like. "Well, it's not my job to do it, and it ain't gonna cook itself. Now quit whining and fill these orders." He finished by tossing a bunch order slips in the prince's face and turning back to the cash register.

The prince looked at one of the slips and then casually tossed it over his shoulder. "If the commoner folk can do it, so can a prince." He boldly pointed the spatula into the air. "I shall make the food!"

Soon, the prince began to fry cook, using whatever ingredients he could find to make the krabby patties. However, because he was a spoiled prince who has never cooked a day in his life, things were about to get ugly.

When Squidward was on his third break, he began to smell smoke coming from behind. He turned his head back and wondered, "What is that smell?" suddenly he gasped and noticed a trail of smoke above him, coming from inside the kitchen. He screamed at the top of his voice and jumped out from behind the counter and crawled on the floor while the customers screamed and panicked as they made to the exits.

Hearing all the commotion, Mr. Krabs emerged from his office and saw the fire coming from in the kitchen and all the customers gone. "Me profits!" he shrieked in panic.

Mr. Krabs bursts into the burning kitchen with a fire extinguisher and sprayed foam everywhere until the smoke began to disappear. Once the fire was out, Mr. Krabs sees the burned grill with charred patties on it, a bunch of ingredients on the floor, and the prince sitting in a corner of the kitchen, looking all blackened from the smoke and holding a spatula as he coughed. "That'll do, sir." He said, wheezy.

"What is the meaning of this, boy?" Mr. Krabs asked, demanding an explanation from his star employee for almost burning down his restaurant.

The prince cleared his throat and spoke in a refined tone, "While I do apologize, sir, for setting you eatery ablaze, I must point that cooking is something of a foreign art to me. Never have I've been expected to cook food others- not even myself." He shuddered at the thought.

Mr. Krabs raised an eyebrow at his fry cook and asked, "SpongeBob, what has gotten into you, boy-o. You're actin' strange…well, more than usual."

The prince chuckled and responded, "While I apologize again that I am normally supposed to be this terrific fry cooker of yours, I'm afraid I must be off to explore of this lovely town. And doing hours of labor doesn't fit into my schedule." He took off his uniform hat and dropped it on the grill. "So long, my good man, and good luck with your business."

After the prince walked out of the Krusty Krab, Mr. Krabs started at him flabbergasted at his employee's behavior. "Something tells me that ain't me fry cook." But then he carelessly shrugged. "Aw well. Knowing SpongeBob, he'll be back."

_They all come back! Do you wonder how SpongeBob is doing? You will find out soon enough. Hope you review what you think so far and stick around for the next chapter._


	4. Chapter 4: Living the High Life

_Another day another chapter. Gee, I wonder what SpongeBob's been up to since he traded places with the prince and went off to do nothing of particular interest until this very moment._

_Let's find out…_

Chapter 4: Living the High Life

Inside the Chum Bucket, Plankton was sitting at his desk, looking depressed as he leaned on the surface, giving a heavy sigh. On the wall, his computer wife noticed his behavior and asked, "Is something wrong, Honey?"

Plankton gave a groan as he responded, "As I am cursed to have my restaurant just across the street from the Krusty Krab, I am also cursed to witness my archrival, Krabs, sell food to actual royals."

"What else is new?" Karen replied in an annoyed tone, hearing the same answer her husband always gave for the same obvious reason. "It's not any different from the millions of other customers he gets."

"This time's different." Plankton retorted. "An actual prince tasted his food. It will only increase his business by ten folds. The only way I can match up is if I steal that secret formula. Neptune knows what I can do this time in order to succeed."

Outside, the garbage cans behind the restaurant were being dug through by SpongeBob's pet snail, Gary, who was looking for a decent meal to hold him off until his owner feeds him. He sniffed around, but stuck his tongue out in disgust being that it was the Chum Bucket's garbage. He suddenly felt the ground beneath him rumble and he turned his eyestalks to see a tank was driving down the street, approaching the area with the Chum Bucket and the Krusty Krab. Inside, a large muscular and middle-aged fish in a military uniform and many badges was sitting in the middle while a couple of soldiers were operating the large vehicle.

One soldier was looking through a telescope before saying, "The prince's caravan is out of range, General. They must have gone back toward the palace, sir."

"What?!" the general shouted angrily. "THAT IS ABSURD! We as the royal army are assigned to protect the prince on his travels should anything happen to him! What if His Highness were assassinated while we were miles behind?! WHAT THEN, PRIVATE?!"

The private trembled as he answered with a salute, "Sir…Understood, sir!"

"Now the rest of you shrimp find us a place to grab some food to go!" the general ordered. "If we hope to catch up with His Highness by the time he reaches Luau Bottom, WE BETTER BE FUELD!"

The soldiers quickly drove the tank to the closest fast food restaurant they could find, and it just so happened to be the one where a certain stop could make a single-cell organism's dreams come true.

"Warning!" Karen's screen flashed, "Customers approaching."

"You're kidding." Plankton said in disbelief.

At the drive-thru window, Plankton hopped on the sill and saw the tank stop in front of it. The general pokes his head from the top and shouts, "You, tiny commoner, do you sell food here?!"

"Ooh, a royal military army." Plankton said with a joyous smile. "As a matter of fact, sir, we do. We sell the highest quality food here…"

"SHUT YOUR YAP, PEASANT!" the general shouted. "Just hurry up and get us whatever you got, we're on a tight schedule here!"

"Y-Yes, sir." Plankton answered nervously with a salute before hopping from the window to prepare the food.

"Are those really customers willing to buy your chum?" Karen asked in complete disbelief that someone would knowingly stop here to purchase lunch.

"Yes, isn't it fantastic?" Plankton said happily. "Krabs may have gotten the high command, but I got the ones who protect those in command."

"You do realize they're not from here, and probably don't even know your food tastes like garbage that's been out in the sun too long."

"Shh!" Plankton hushed. "Don't ruin this for me, Karen."

After the chum was served and Plankton was given large sums of money- which gave him joy since he had never been given even a cent for his chum. As the tank left with their lunch, it suddenly stopped when a familiar figure made his way into the road. Gary looked toward the commotion and his eyes widen in shock to see it was his owner- or what appeared to be his owner.

"WHAT ARE WE STOPPING FOR?!" the general's voice yelled from inside the tank.

The prince turned toward the tank and gave an amused smile. "Dear ol' General Tubbs." He said quietly with a smug smile, "Behind schedule as always. He's fortunate Father hasn't fired him yet."

General Tubbs pokes his head out from inside the tank and yells at the top of his lungs, "WATCH WHERE YOU'RE GOING, PEASANT! I HAVE HALF THE MIND TO LOCK YOU IN JAIL UNTIL YOU'RE MOTHER TURNS 80!"

"Tsk, tsk, tsk." The prince said as he shook his head. "You should be careful of what you say, General. You might not have any idea of who you're talking to."

After the prince got off the road and the tank passed by, one of the soldiers came out from inside and threw a piece of chum at the back of the prince's head just for giggles. As the soldiers laughed while driving away, General Tubbs yelled out, "Nice one, private!"

The prince simply stood there as chum dripped off his head. "How rude." He said with a dull frown. Gary then slithered over to check on the well-being of his owner, sniffing the prince's right hand. "Well, hello there, little snail, come to clean off your superior being? Never seen anything like you up close, you're not diseased-ridden, are you?"

When he tried to pet him, Gary suddenly hissed at the prince and angrily turned away with his nose up. The prince stared at him and dully said, "Even the animals are rude."

* * *

Meanwhile, back in the traveling carriage, SpongeBob was still masquerading as the prince while Wenston fed him a coral fry. As SpongeBob chewed, he said, "Thank you, my good man."

"Ahem," Wenston said, a bit confused. "Forgive my rudeness, Sire, but I don't believe I've ever seen you talk with your mouth full or slouching ever so sloppily."

SpongeBob quickly caught his mistake afterwards and immediately sat up and swallowed his food. "Oh, heh eh eh eh." He said with a nervous chuckle. "Sorry…Winston. I had almost forgotten my princely manners. Cuz, after all, I'm a prince."

"It's 'Wenston'…" he dully corrected. But before Wenston could question him any further, the sounds of trumpets were heard and a voice from probably the driver announces, "We have reached Luau Bottom!"

SpongeBob screeched in excitement as he pokes his head out the window and takes in the sights. He had half-expected a town with a castle to be like the villages in his story books and TV shows, but it was almost like his hometown Bikini Bottom only a bit cleaner, fancier, and civilians looked like they had a lot more money and were more educated than most. Many passersby smiled and waved at SpongeBob, most likely mistaking him for their prince. The sponge grinned and waved back joyfully in a manner that would be most uncivilized for a prince to do.

As SpongeBob continued to hang out the window look at the pretty sights, Wenston stared in amusement. "Oh, Your Highness." He said with a chuckle. "You're behaving as if it were your first time here." But then he pulled SpongeBob back into the carriage. "Forgive me, but I must remind you that it is not well-mannered of a prince to hang out of his landau." But then he held his chin, "Come to think of it, I've never had to remind you not to do that, and you know not to let anyone outside the castle know your location."

"Oh, right," SpongeBob said with a nervous chuckle. "I definitely knew that. I just…wanted to make sure everything was in place since I left. I am a prince after all."

Wenston chuckled sarcastically, "Just like your father."

"The king!" SpongeBob shouted as he stuck his head out the window again. "Where?" much to Wenston's surprise.

The carriage soon drove through the palace gates and stopped in front of the large palace doors. The driver opened the carriage door, but as soon as he did SpongeBob jolted out and ran into the castle.

Inside, he ran up the velvet red carpeted stairs and found the main throne room, where the king, and next to him, the prince would be seated. The room was so wide that SpongeBob immediately thought you can have a ball like they do in fairy tales.

"Wow," SpongeBob said in amazement. "It's even better than I imagined."

SpongeBob hopped on the throne and sunk comfortably in his seat. He gave a relaxed sigh and said, "A fella could get use to this. Now all I need is a foot massage." Then as if on cue, a servant appeared and placed SpongeBob's right foot on a stool, took off his shoe, and started massaging his foot. "Oh yeah…" SpongeBob said as he sunk lower into his throne with a relaxed sigh.

* * *

Later on after a nice foot massage and pedicure, SpongeBob rushed up the stairs and entered one of the chambers to find a large bed, a few paintings of what looked like himself on the wall, and a large wardrobe. "Wow, this must be the prince's chamber- or in other words, my chamber. Ha ah ah ah ah."

SpongeBob walked over to his bed and jumped on top of it. It had to be the most comfortable bed he had ever laid in. The blankets were so soft, he was sinking right in. But now was not the time for a nap, he immediately sat up and hopped out of bed.

Just for fun, SpongeBob opened up the wardrobe, letting a bunch of clothing and items fall out. Soon, SpongeBob was standing on a small footstool in front of a large mirror, wearing a ton of royal robes, a large crown on his head, and holding a scepter. "If only Patrick could see me now." He said with a proud smile

But then, he turned around and saw a sword placed decoratively on the wall. He squealed in excitement and hopped on the floor, still wearing his royal outfit and grabbed the sword off the wall.

He pointed the blade out and shouted, "Halt! You dare to cross paths with the royal prince! Well, prepare to feel the taste of my blade!" He then flings the sword across the room and it stabs into the wall…narrowly missing the top of Wenston's head.

SpongeBob yelps in shock, realizing his mistake, but Wenston just smiles and chuckles as he moves away from the sword. "Nice shot, Sire." He then walked over and gave a quick bow to SpongeBob before adding. "I must say, you're quite chipper today."

SpongeBob chuckled nervously as he replied, "Sorry, Wenston. I guess I'm excited to be home." Then then took a seat on a small chair made of soft cushion as he gave a relaxed sigh. "I never realized being a prince can be so wonderful."

Wenston cleared his throat and calmly said, "With all due respect, Your Highness, as much as I would like you to relax after a long journey. I must inform you that your royal army has arrived and wishes to check in with you."  
"Royal army?" SpongeBob questioned as his eyes pop open and sparkle while he smiled, "I have a royal army?

"Yes, the one that was following you on your travels as extra protection." Wenston then said under his breath, "Fine job they did at that too…"

"Oh, ha ah ah ah, _that_ royal army." SpongeBob said with a nervous grin as he stood up. "Of course I would like to meet them."

"Follow me, Your Highness." Wenston replied annoyed as he led SpongeBob downstairs.

* * *

Back in the throne room, General Tubbs and a group of his soldiers were waiting patiently in the throne room until Wenston arrives with SpongeBob- who they think is their prince.

"Greetings Your Majesty." General Tubbs says in his most humble tone as he and the soldiers kneel on one knee before him. "We are pleased to see back home safe and sound."

"Ooh, thank you, my good man." SpongeBob replied with a huge grin. "Please arise." He chuckled at this as if it were something he had always wanted to say. This gave him a strange glance from Wenston.

After he and his men were standing straight up, General Tubbs continued, "We apologize for our delay in escorting you home. We assure on your next journey, we will not fall behind again."

SpongeBob gasped in excitement, "We're going on another journey?!" but Wenston cleared his throat and SpongeBob took the hint at his "unprince-like" behavior. "I mean, uh, think nothing of it, General. I still had a pleasant experience in my travels. I was especially fond of the common folk- especially a certain fry cook that works at the quaint restaurant we stopped at."

"Bless you, Your Highness." The general said with a salute, along with his men. "Please excuse us."

After the army left, Wenston turned to SpongeBob, "While I admire your tolerance. I must say I would've punished them severely for their neglect to protect you."

But SpongeBob just waved off, "Now Wenston, let's not be tyrants here."

"Yes, Sire." Wenston said, rolling his eyes. "Well, now that you are settled in, shall we begin your royal assignments?"

Hearing this, SpongeBob's face froze in shock, "Royal assignments?"

"Yes, of course." Wenston reminded as he took a rolled up piece of parchment out from inside his coat, "With your father currently ill, you must pick up the royal's duties as his heir. Surely, you knew that."

"W-Well, of course I did." SpongeBob quickly said as he stood up. "As a prince, I will resume my duties as Prince of Luau Bottom. I mean how hard could it be?"

But his question was answered when Wenston unfolded the paper and it stretched all the way to the floor and rolled ten feet across the carpet. "Oh…" SpongeBob said with a look of dismay.

_I hope you enjoyed this chapter and leave a review telling what you think so far because there's more to come._


	5. Chapter 5: A Walk In His Shoes

_And now here's the next chapter of the Prince and the Sponge. Sorry for the wait, I've been busy and haven't had time to post anything. But now your chance to enjoy and learn what the other's life is like..._

Chapter 5: A Walk in his Shoes

Meanwhile, in Bikini Bottom, the prince was still touring the town. After cleaning off the chum that was thrown on him by his own men, he walked through the city as casual as one could. "Well, this place is certainly different from Luau Bottom. I doubt anyone would ever think to search for me here." He said to himself. "While that SpongeBob fellow is enjoying my life as a prince, I can enjoy his life…as a free man." But then he stopped and asked himself, "What do commoners do?"

His stomach soon began to growl and he remembered he had run away from him princely life before he could eat. The prince soon spotted a hot dog cart up ahead. While it wasn't the classiest food, if he was gonna be a commoner, he might as well get used to the cuisine.

The prince ran over to the cart just as one customer was leaving with his dog, and the prince asked, "I would like to partake in one of your commoner dishes."

"Uh…okay." The vendor responded strangely, never having heard someone ask him for something as simple as a hot dog like that before. He reached inside the cooker and placed it on a bun before giving it to him, "That'll be one dollar."

"Excuse me?" the prince asked, raising an eyebrow.

"You have to pay for it with money." The vendor explained.  
"Pay? You expect me to pay you for the privilege to eat commoner food?"

The vendor looked annoyed as he replied, "Of course. I don't just give away food for free."

"Blasphemy!" the prince shouted as he pounded on the cart. "I demand food and I demand it now!"

In response, the hot dog vendor simply glared and pulled a can out of his cart, spraying pepper spray into the prince's eyes. "AAAAHH! Dear Neptune!" the prince screamed as he ran away, rubbing his eyes.

* * *

Back in the Luau Bottom castle, SpongeBob was standing outside the castle in front of the closed gates as many citizens swarmed on the other side of the gate, hoping to get an answer from him with the millions of questions they had concerning their lives.

"Your Majesty!" one man shouted, "Will you raise the prices for bread in town?"

"Uhhhh…" SpongeBob tried to answer.

"Your Majesty!" a woman asked. "What are your thoughts on the fogs of oil polluting the area in the Far East?"

SpongeBob bit his lower lip, trying to think of what to say, but before he could think of anything, he was bombarded with another question.

"My prince!" another woman asked. "Is it true you're planning a hostile takeover of nearby cities?"

After the eighteenth question in a row, SpongeBob suddenly screamed at the top of his lungs and ran back toward the castle as Wenston stared at him in bafflement.

* * *

In Bikini Bottom, after his eyesight recovered, the prince felt he was safe enough to cross the street in order to find something else that was interesting- or find a law enforcement to arrest the hot dog vendor. As a beautiful fish stopped next to him, they were both about to step off the curb until the prince noticed a puddle in their path and he put his hand out to stop her from going a step further.

The woman chuckled thankfully until the prince took off her shawl and threw it on the puddle before taking a step off the curb on top of it. The woman growled angrily and beat the prince on top of his head with her umbrella.

* * *

Back at the castle, SpongeBob was now sitting in a small room at a school desk while an old male fish was standing at a chalkboard with equations and shapes drawn on it. "Now, let's review," The teacher said. "All triangles have three sides and the relations between these are a Transnet, Secant, and can you tell me what the third is?"

But at his desk, SpongeBob was less enthused and he sat slouched at his desk with a bored to death expression on his face while Wenston was dusting the book shelves behind him.

His attention was brought back when the teacher tapped his ruler on his desk. "Sire, I must have your complete attention if you're ever gonna rule this kingdom in place of your father someday."

After drool dripped from his mouth, SpongeBob muttered the word, "Yes sir."

* * *

Later on, the prince was walking down an alley by himself, looking weary since he was still hungry from his missed lunch period. Then his eyes widen as he spots a fried chicken leg conveniently sitting on a plate in the middle of the alley.

"While I would never in a million years stoop as low as to eat scraps off the floor," he brought his hands together in prayer. "Thank you."

As he sprinted over and picked the food off the ground, it smelt fresh enough to eat like it was recently placed there. But before the prince could take a bite, he suddenly heard growling next to him. What he hadn't noticed before was the chicken was placed in front of a doghouse, and in that doghouse was a vicious pet worm that was now growling at the prince for eating his food.

The prince smiled and chuckled nervously and dropped the food before backing away slowly. Then he screamed and ran away as fast as he could from the barking worm that was chasing him down the alley.

* * *

Back at the palace, Wenston was leading SpongeBob into the throne room. "Now, my prince, it is time for you to choose a bride." He informed the sponge.

"Bride?" SpongeBob questioned, puzzled. "For who?"

"For you." Wenston said with a calm smile as they reached the throne room to see seven female fish dressed in princess outfits all standing in a line, waiting to meet their suitor. While most of them were pretty attractive in their own special way, SpongeBob stared uncomfortably at them.

"Uh, Wenston?" SpongeBob asked nervously. "Are you sure a prince needs a bride?"

Wenston chuckled before answering, "Well, of course, Your Majesty. If you recall, you and your father discussed this already. As heir to the throne, you must be prepared to settle down."

He walks SpongeBob in front of the line of possible brides. The sponge glanced at his brides, who this time were all smiling and waving to him as they giggled. SpongeBob had always thought the idea of getting married would be nice. But this time, he thought it was a horrible idea, especially if he couldn't do so as himself.

'_Oh no,'_ SpongeBob thought to himself as he clenched his teeth. _'I can't get married to a princess. I'm not even a real prince. I got do what I do best: talk my way out of this.'_

He turned to his valet and spoke in a relatively calm tone, "Listen, Wenston, the thing is I can't get married to any of them."

The brides all gasped in surprise while Wenston asked, "What is the matter, Your Highness? Does not one of them appeal to you?"

"Oh, no, no, it's not that." SpongeBob explained. "It's just that…I'm not really myself today. There's someone out there…who's…"

Wenston narrowed his eyes suspiciously at SpongeBob, "My prince, is there some other maiden you're interested in?"

The brides looked even more shocked while SpongeBob continues to fumble over his words, "What? No…Well, I mean yes, but the thing is…Sandy is just a…"

"Sandy?!" Wenston questioned as soon as he heard the name. "Who is this 'Sandy' character? Is she a commoner? You're not planning to elope, are you?"

SpongeBob's cheeks flush bright red in embarrassment at this outrageous accusation. While Sandy was indeed his lady friend, he didn't mean to bring her up like this, though it was hard not to since that was the only female name he could bring up in order to keep from getting married to some stranger. Even though he didn't mean to hurt anyone's feelings, some of his potential brides were either sobbing, furious, or ready to kill him.

SpongeBob immediately turned around and rushed out of the room, leaving everyone feeling awkward. He was starting to get the idea that being a real prince was not all it was cracked up to be. Out of every hard thing he had to do today, this was definitely the worst. He hoped the real prince was having better luck at being an everyday folk than he was at trying to be a non-everyday folk.

* * *

In Bikini Bottom, the prince was walking down the street after leaving the city, slouched over after his tiring day. "Is a commoner life this bad or am I just doing something wrong?" but then he looked ahead to spot a familiar octopus walking down the street. "Is that the same chap from the food restaurant?" he immediately ran toward him, "You sir!"

Hearing this, Squidward turned and spot the prince coming toward him. But since to him this was SpongeBob he continued walking down the path. "Oh, it's you. Come to cry to me since you might be out of the job?"

"You won't believe this day, sir." The prince said as he walked next to Squidward. "This place called Bikini Bottom is quite dreadful."

While he was surprised to hear SpongeBob say this for the first time, he couldn't help but agree with this notion. "It took you that long to figure it out?"

"Good heavens, I wish I could be at home listening to my Stravinsky records." The prince moaned.

"Wait," Squidward asked, now giving the prince his attention. "You own classical musician records?"

"Why, of course." The prince answered. "I quite enjoy the calming music with a cup of tea. I have always listened to it since I was a child on order by my music instructor."

"I…I never knew, SpongeBob." Squidward said, dumbfounded, since to him, this was the same sponge who giggled while leapfrogging outside his yard.

Once they reached Conch Street, the prince's eyes widen when he sees Squidward's eastern island head home. "My good man, is this where you live?" he asked, looking awestruck.

"Well, duh. What? Did you hit your head on the mailbox again?" Squidward asked, looking at the prince, annoyed.

"It is the most beautiful commoner home I've ever seen." The prince said with a teary smile. "The structure is simply amazing and I can bet the inside décor must be exquisite."

Squidward stopped in shock at what he was hearing. "You really think so?"

"Of course I do." The prince said as he took Squidward's tentacle. "You must show me this yourself."

But before Squidward could answer, they heard Patrick's voice shouting, "SpongeBob!" as he approached them. "There you are, SpongeBob. I thought you were off at the opera since it was Be Sophisticated Day."

The prince chuckled quietly and muttered to Squidward, "Oh look, it's the village idiot."

Squidward suddenly chuckled and laughed at this. "I know, right?"

Patrick looked suspiciously at the sponge since he had never known his best friend to make such a mean comment to him. "Wait a minute," he bluntly said while pointed at finger at the prince. "I know what's going on here! The stuffy tone, the ignorance of everyday life, and the lack of knowledge about his best friends…" The prince gulped in worry at having been possibly found out. "You forgot it was the fourth Friday of the month!" Patrick finished with a large childish grin, "The day we go to Goofy Goober's Ice-Cream Party Boat."

"Excuse me?" the prince asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Luckily, you have me as your best friend. I never forget any- OH NO, I think I forgot to flush!"

As Patrick dashed back to his house, the prince turned to Squidward and asked in a perplexed tone, "Is this what you always do?"

"Don't look at me, SpongeBob." Squidward responded bitterly, "I'll never partake in one of your childish monthly outings."

"If that's the case," the prince said with his arms crossed, looking uninterested. "I will never partake in one of those myself. I mean ice-cream? I've never been permitted to have anything sugar-related, and a party? Why, all the noise and nonsense seems undignified."

This made Squidward stare at the prince with even more surprise. SpongeBob always looked forward to hanging out with Patrick, but why the sudden disinterest in anything he deemed "uncultured"?

After a few seconds, Patrick came back and started jumping up and down excitedly, "Are you ready, SpongeBob? Are you ready?"

The prince held up a defiant hand and responded, "Now, Mr. Patrick, I appreciate the offer, but I will not participate in such-" but before the prince could refuse Patrick's offer, he was suddenly grabbed by the starfish and dragged away.

"Oh, this is gonna be so much fun!" Patrick shouted in excitement as the prince was flown around much to his discomfort. "It'll be even better than last month!"

When Squidward was finally alone, he turned away with a frown and said, "Morons will be morons…"

_Ain't it the truth! LOL JK! Things don't seem to be going well for both sides. But things can only get better...or worse. Please review how you think it'll turn out._


	6. Chapter 6: Ice Cream and Parties

_Here's the next chapter of "The Prince and the Sponge". Last time, the prince and SpongeBob were struggling to adapt to their new lives, but will things go better or worse for them?_

_Enjoy…_

Chapter 6: Ice-Cream and Parties

Back in Luau Bottom after sunset, SpongeBob was in his chamber (or more accurately, the prince's chamber), and was sitting in a chair next to the window as he gave a deep sigh and stared over the horizon.

"I wonder if Patrick is enjoying Goofy Goober Night without me." He said in a sad tone. "I never knew the royal life could be so lonely."

Suddenly, he heard a knock on the door and Wenston stepped in to do his final check on the prince. "Everything alright, Sire?"

"Oh, it's nothing, Wenston." SpongeBob answered in a forlorn voice. "I guess I'm just a little bored."

"Bored?" Wenston repeated in question until he chuckled, "Oh, Your Highness, I've never heard you say such nonsense. In fact, I've never heard you say half the things you've said this afternoon. But anywho, it's past your bedtime, you should be getting some sleep after a long day."

"But Wenston, I always have ice-cream at this time since-" SpongeBob stopped mid-sentence since it would give away his real identity. "I mean…I could really use some ice-cream right about now."

"Ice-cream?" Wenston said until he frowned and scolded, "Absolutely not! Forgive me, Your Highness, but you know as well as I do that ice-cream and other non-nutritional food are prohibited in the palace. How uncultured."

"But Wenston!"

"I must take my leave, Sire, so you can rest." He prepared to leave the chamber, but then looked back at SpongeBob between the crack in the door. "You are a prince after all." And then gently shut it.

After his valet left, SpongeBob sighed again and made an angry frown. "If I'm a prince, how come I'm not having any fun? Not to mention it's only 7:00." he turned to the window. "How is anyone supposed to have fun if we can't have any ice-cream, parties…games…" as he looked out the window again, his eyes widen with an idea and he eventually smiled, "Yeah…it's time Prince SpongeBob showed these royal folk how to have fun! And I don't mean just royal folk, I mean EVERYONE."

* * *

Meanwhile, cheery music was playing as it came from the place where every kid would have fun: Goofy Goober's Ice-Cream Party Boat. Inside they had a bar with every flavor of Goofy Goober brand ice-cream, a room full of arcade games where you can win prizes, a play area with its own ball pit and super slide, and a theater room where Goofy Goober himself would put on performances. There was also the Parents Room where moms and dads would sit and wait until their children were done having the time of their lives.

In the theater room, Patrick and the prince were sitting at a table where bubbles filled the air and cheery music was playing from the piano. While Patrick seemed to be having a good time, the prince was covering his ears, trying to drown out the noise of loud hyperactive children around them.

"Pretty good, huh SpongeBob?" Patrick asked, elbowing the prince's arm playfully.

"Good?!" the prince yelled over the noise. "What kind of commoner would indulge in such childish antics?"

"I know!" Patrick yelled as well. "I'm having fun too!"

Soon, the stage curtains go back and reveal the children's favorite mascot, Goofy Goober, presenting another entertaining show. "Hey all you goofy goobers!" he cheerily said with a wave. "It's time for Goofy Goober's Hokey Pokey!"

Soon the music started and everyone began putting their right fin in and shaking it all about while the prince held the sides of his head and leaned down on the table. "Dear Neptune," the prince muttered. "How is this place described as 'fun'?" he then grabbed Patrick by his chest, "Mr. Patrick, I order you to take me out of here!"

But Patrick couldn't hear the prince too well over the noise and responded, "No need, SpongeBob, I already ordered something for you."

On cue, the waiter came over with two bowls of ice-cream. "Two orders of Double Fudge Spinnies." He dully said before walking away.

The prince stares oddly at his dish, raising an eyebrow. "What kind of cuisine is this?"

"Only the greatest ice-cream in the world." Patrick explained. "Boy, your memory is really bad after not being here a month." Then he took a big spoonful of ice-cream and stuffed it in his mouth.

"Ice-cream?" the prince questioned. "I've never been allowed to have ice-cream. I wonder how something like this could possibly be banned from my diet." He then heard his stomach growl, reminding him he still hadn't eaten all day. He then shrugged and picked up his spoon. "I'm sure one bite wouldn't hurt."

He stuck the spoonful of vanilla ice-cream in his mouth and right after he begun to savor the flavor, his eyes widen with the spoon still in his mouth and he suddenly felt a strange…sensation overcome him.

Meanwhile, Patrick had already finished his sundae and stared at the prince, who was still eating that first bite. "Pretty good, huh SpongeBob?" he then pointed to his ice-cream bowl. "You gonna finish that?" but as he reached to grab the bowl, the prince finally took the spoon out of his mouth and whacked the top of Patrick's hand with it. "Ow!"

"Patrick…" the prince said slowly in an emotionless voice. "I would surely like to know…" he suddenly smiled and pounded his hands on the table. "WHAT I'VE BEEN MISSING!"

Then the prince's etiquette training flew right out the window from his first intake of sugar and began rapidly scooping spoonful after spoonful of ice-cream until there was none left, and if that wasn't enough, he proceeded to grab the bowl and lick it clean. Watching this, Patrick threw his arms in the air excitedly and bellowed, "Whooo!"

"Must…have…more." the prince growled, breathing heavily through his teeth and rushed to another table where a child was having his birthday party. Without notice, he grabbed the kid's Quadruple Gooberberry Sunrise and stuffed the whole thing in his mouth, leaving the guests in shock and the birthday boy in tears, crying loudly.

The boy's mother shouted to the prince angrily, "What do you think you're doing, you creep!"

"Need more!" the prince shouted before running away to another table and grabbing another child's bowl of ice-cream.

Seeing this, Patrick smiled in joy. "That looks like fun!"

While the prince was gobbling up another helpless kid's ice-cream, Patrick went over to another table and dumped all the ice-cream out of a small bowl and into his mouth.

The prince gave a dim chuckle before grabbing the little girl's ice-cream cone and greedily stuffing it in his mouth. Patrick found a milkshake machine on the wall and hung his head underneath it and turned knob, letting the frozen treat fall into his mouth. The prince's teeth chatter all the frozen treats he's been consuming before he gobbles up a banana split. Patrick then walks over with a Triple Gooberberry Sunrise which he and the prince proceed to mow down with all the children in the room staring in amazement.

"Oh, Patrick! ItwasthankstoyouIwasintroducedtothisdelicacy!" the prince shouted while jumping up and down hyperactively.

Patrick just obliviously giggled, "Ha ha ha, you're talking funny."

"Hey!" a little boy, angry at having his birthday party ruined, shouted as he walked over to the two. "Who do you think you are!"

"Fool!" the prince bellowed in a loud voice before climbing on top of a table, occupied by a family. "I am the prince!" he licked his finger, sticky with strawberry ice-cream and revealed he was wearing the ring with the royal symbol on it. "Behold!"

All the children gasped in surprise before smiling excitedly, now realizing that they are in the presence of royalty. "You're really a prince!" a little girl shouted before fainting.

"A prince!" all the kids cheer, waving their arms.

"SpongeBob…" Patrick said until he smiled. "You're a prince? You never told me that."

"ThatIam,Patrick,thatIam!" The prince shouted hyperactively as jumped up and down.

Patrick was in amazement. "Wow..." he then kneeled on one knee. "What is your first order, Prince SpongeBob?"

"I'm glad you asked, I'mgladyouasked, I'MGLADYOUASKED!" the prince shouted until he stopped to take in some breaths. "I proclaim that I must have more of this flavorsome treat while we partake in other events of this juvenile palace!"

At this, Patrick and all the children cheered, having an actual prince to play with them at the funnest place in the ocean.

Soon, the prince, Patrick, and the children all made their way to the arcade, the prince rapidly played on a video game, moving the droid stick and pushing some buttons all while chattering his teeth from sugar he's endured as he kept his dilated eyes on the flashing screen. Soon, an explosion was heard and the screen flashed brightly with the large words flashing "YOU WIN!" Patrick and a group of children all cheered wildly as the game machine dispensed a string of tickets.

Then Patrick and the prince made their way into the play area and climbed through the long tunnels that were pretty small since they made for children than adults who acted like children. The two reach the end of the tunnel and go down the long side together, holding their arms out and screaming in joy. The slide reaches a ball pit which the prince and Patrick drop into. They come out to the surface where a bunch of kids in the ball pit all laugh in joy as they all splash around in the balls.

Afterwards, Patrick holds out two delicious milkshakes and gives one to the prince. The two wasted no time in gulping them both down, smearing their faces in cream and chocolate ice-cream. The prince then sees Goofy Goober himself strutting around the place, and mistaking him for a ruffian, throws his glass at the defenseless peanut, knocking him down to the ground. The prince screams madly and rushes over to the bar table and shoves a large jar of sprinkles in his mouth.

A while later, Patrick and the prince were playing a game of skeeball. Patrick holds one eye closed as he carefully aims his ball toward the point holes. Patrick then holds his arm back and throws the ball like a baseball, and hitting the top of the game rather than the goals. As such, the ball bounces back and knocks Patrick on the head, causing him to fall over from impact. The prince, even when frenzied from galleons of ice-cream and sugar, is able to figure out the game and rolls his ball across the board, landing it in the 500 points hole. The kids all cheered as the prince receives another long string of tickets.

At the prize counter, the prince simply shoves his large ball of tickets in the hapless cashier's face and grabs a large teddy bear for his prize. He gives his prize to Patrick, and the starfish holds it up victoriously as their young fans cheer and jump up and down. However, the festivities were ruined when a pair of large men in peanut hats stood sternly in front of them with their arms crossed, probably mad from the prince's earlier assault on their mascot. While Patrick looked a bit intimidated, the prince wobbled back and forth with a ditzy chuckle before passing out onto the ground, having finally crashed down from his first sugar rush.

* * *

Meanwhile, in Luau Bottom, it would be expected that in such a little city with a royal figurehead, things would be quiet compared to Bikini Bottom. Wrong! The real excitement was happening in the palace which had flashing lights and rave music going on inside. In the throne room were a crowd of partygoers either dancing, talking, or trying all the hors d'oeuvres that they never thought they would taste in their social class.

Joining them on the dance floor was SpongeBob as he joyfully danced with all loyal subjects while the latter seemed to enjoy dancing with their prince.

"Yeah!" SpongeBob shouted as he danced beneath the flashing lights. "That's what I'm talking about!"

"Nice party, Your Majesty." A woman said with a curtsey.

SpongeBob bowed back and responded, "Why, thank you. It's only kind us royals can put on."

Entering the scene was Wenston, who had a shocked look on his face to see the royal palace had been turned into a wild dance party.

SpongeBob was now pouring himself a glass of punch just as Wenston rushed over to him. "Your Highness, what is all this?" he frantically asked.

"It's a party, duh!" SpongeBob cheerfully said as he took a sip of the punch. "Yeah, rare tropical expensive punch is truly delicious." He offered his glass to his valet. "Would you like a sip?"

But Wenston was still not pleased. "This is inane!"

"It is insane, isn't it?" SpongeBob obliviously replied, over the loud music. "It's a grand idea," he said, playfully elbowing the valet, "I'm glad I thought of it. Ha ah ah ah ah!"

Wenston struggled to keep his composure as he held the sides of his head and gritted his teeth. "Your Majesty, with all due respect, I must insist that you end this wild party now before your ill father is disturbed by all this noise."

Hearing this, SpongeBob spits out his punch. "'Ill father'?"

"Of course." Wenston responded, a bit surprised that this would be news to him. "You are very well of aware of the king's terrible illness."

"Oh," SpongeBob said with a nervous chuckle, "THAT ill father."

But before SpongeBob could fear about his true identity being revealed, the glass windows suddenly break and the party guests scream as a bunch of ninjas burst into the palace. SpongeBob and Wenston back away as the ninjas flip and make poses while they advance toward the two.

"GUARDS!" Wenston hollered. "GUARDS, COME QUICKLY!" but no one showed up to their aid. "Blast, where are those guards?"

"Oh, uh…" SpongeBob stammered nervously. "I, uh…sent them all out to get more coasters."

The ninjas then jump in the air and fly toward SpongeBob and Wenston. The latter two scream and run away as the ninjas land in their previous spot and wasted no time in chasing after them.

Wenston quickly turned to SpongeBob. "You must run and hide, Your Majesty! I'll try and draw them away!"

"Okay!" SpongeBob replied with nod before the two split up and run down opposite hallways.

The pursuing ninjas stop for second, wondering which way they could have gone, until one ninja silently gestures three of them to go down the right hallway while the two of them run down the left. The three ninjas nod before flipping down the right hallway.

SpongeBob fled down the large hallway, and turned his head back to see the three ninjas running and flipping through the air as they chase after him. Soon, SpongeBob reaches a dead end and turns around while trembling. The ninjas slowly approach him while SpongeBob slid down the wall in a fetal position.

"What do you want with me?" he asked in a shaky voice. "Is this some kind of royal fire drill?"

Before the ninjas could get any closer, a rumbling noise was heard and the ninjas all clutched their stomachs and fell to the ground, groaning in agony. SpongeBob was baffled by this, seeing his pursuers writhing on the ground like they had the stomach flu. But even SpongeBob knew this was a perfect opportunity for him. "I better hide somewhere." He said, seeing the closest door.

He ran inside and quickly shut the door behind him. "That was so close." He said, wiping his forehead. "Why would anyone wanna attack me? I am a prince."

"My son…"

After hearing the old sickly voice, SpongeBob just now took notice of his surroundings. He was in a large bedroom with gold walls, a shiny expensive wooden floor, and lots of valuable furniture. He saw a large canopy in the middle of the room and notice a large figure laying inside.

"My son… Is that you?"

SpongeBob soon realized just where exactly he was. "The prince's father, I mean the king." He quietly whispered in panic. He soon remembered hearing that the king was currently ill and was in no condition to avoid fending off ninjas. "What should I do?"

"Please…" the king said, holding out his hand. "Come close."

With no other option since the king obviously had no idea that he was talking to an imposter and not his son, he took off his hat and slowly walked over to the king's bed.

"I am so relieved to see you have returned home safely." The old sickly king said in a nurturing voice, "How were your travels?"

SpongeBob was not sure if he should break the news to the kind king that his son was currently absent, especially since both their lives could be in danger. "Um…Your Majesty?" he said in a nervous tone. "I uh, I'm not…"

"Oh, my son." The king said, taking SpongeBob's hand. "This is all my fault. If not for the treasure you bear, none of this would be happening." He dropped SpongeBob's hand and seemed to be falling asleep in mid-sentence. "I hope you can one day forgive me."

Hearing the king's sincere apology only left SpongeBob even more baffled by the mystery of the palace. "Treasure?" he said in a confused, yet amazed, tone.

_Oooh, someone has a treasure hidden somewhere. Even though things just go weirder, I'd like to know what you think. Please review and stick around for the next chapter._


	7. Chapter 7: Forgive and Forgo

_New chapter time! Last time, the prince had the time of his life having sugar for the first time while SpongeBob had to fight for his life when he was mysteriously attacked._

_Find out what happens next…_

Chapter 7: Forgive and Forgo

In the early morning of Bikini Bottom, inside the pineapple house, the prince was fast asleep on the living room couch, snoring his square head off as drooled dripped from the side of his mouth. After a while, he suddenly coughed and forced his eyelids half open. He groaned in exhaustion with his eyes looking tired.

"SpongeBob!" Patrick shouted happily as he rushed to the prince's side. "You're awake!"

"Patrick…" the prince groaned as he held his aching head. "Where…in Neptune's name am I?"

Patrick began to explain, "Oh, last night, you kinda fell asleep. So I carried you back home and I stayed here until you woke up. I was gonna leave Gary to look after ya, but he won't even come near you for some reason." He pointed to the kitchen where SpongeBob's beloved pet snail was poking his head out from the kitchen, snarling as he stared at the prince. Patrick then grinned happily, "That was the best Goofy Goober Night ever!"

Even though the prince still had bloodshot eyes, he put on a weak smile. "As much as I hate to admit it, I agree. A fellow can get used to a life like this." He put his hand on Patrick's shoulder. "Patrick, my friend, I have you to thank for this. I would never have experienced the joyous side of commoner life if it hadn't been for you."

"Heh heh, heh, you talk like a prince." Patrick said with a dim chuckle. "Oh, right, you are a prince. Can I try on your crown, SpongeBob?"

The prince just stared at him baffled, seeing as the starfish knew he was a prince, courtesy of the spectacle he made of himself last night, but was still under the impression that he was his best friend.

* * *

Back in the Luau Bottom Palace, SpongeBob was hiding in his room ever since things quieted down after last night, though SpongeBob was still shaken up by the ninjas that broke into the palace and tried to attack him.

While pacing around, SpongeBob bit his fingernails as he pondered out loud to himself. "Oh, the prince never mentioned anything about enemy kingdoms wanting to attack me here. What am I supposed to do now that I'm the prince? I can't ask the king, it'll crush him if I tell him his only son is in mortal danger." He gasped when he suddenly remembered his own family, "Gary. If the palace finds out I'm not really their prince, those enemy royals might go after everyone I know."

He turns around and sees a gold telephone sitting on a small table. He rushed over and picked up the receiver, "I know! I'll call home and warn Gary that he better hide somewhere!" he began dialing. "I better make it long-distance."

* * *

At the pineapple house, the shell phone in the living room began to ring, and Patrick was the one to pick it up first. "Hello, SquarePants Residence."

SpongeBob was surprised to hear Patrick's voice from his own phone, but he was happy at the same time to hear his best friend's voice again since being away from Bikini Bottom. "Patrick?!" he asked with a heartfelt smile. "Is that really you?"

Patrick, however, was not at all surprised or alerted to the fact that he was hearing SpongeBob's voice on the phone despite the fact that SpongeBob's double was sitting on the couch right behind him. "Oh, hi SpongeBob." He greeted with a smile. "Fancy hearing ya."

"Patrick, listen, this may come as a shock to you, buddy, but you will not believe where I am right now."

"You won't believe where I am right now yourself. I'm at your house and I was just telling you over there about what a fun night we had last night. Remember when you said you were a prince? I totally didn't see that coming."

"What?" SpongeBob said, looking confused. "Wait, Patrick, are you with the prince?"

"Of course I am. Boy, you sure know how to party. Next time we should go to Pizza Castle."

Finally, SpongeBob had enough and franticly shouted into the phone, "No, listen! I know I'm not supposed to tell you this, but the truth is I'm the real SpongeBob and the guy with you is a real prince! I'm here at the castle and was attacked by creepy ninjas!"

However, the prince had overheard the conversation and his eyes widen in horror. Patrick simply responded, "You wanna play Ninjas and Castles?"

"NO!" SpongeBob shouted over the phone. "I'm HERE! At the…"

But before Patrick could hear SpongeBob's cry for help, the prince rushed to Patrick and said in a rushed tone, "Patrick, my friend, I'm sorry for my sudden departure, but I'm afraid I must take leave." The prince said, shaking Patrick's hand and rushing out the door. As he left, he walked past Gary, who growled at him, causing the prince cautiously go around him and hurry out the front door.

"Okay," Patrick said on the phone as he waved to the prince. "Bye SpongeBob." And hung up the shell phone.

* * *

At the palace, SpongeBob realized Patrick had suddenly hung up on him. "Hello? Patrick, you there? Hello!" When there was no response, SpongeBob groaned in frustration and hung up the phone. "Ohhh, now what am I supposed to do?"

Before he could think of anything, a butler came inside and said in a dull tone, "Forgive my intrusion, Your Highness, but the general would like a word with you."

SpongeBob then rushed downstairs, hoping a highly trained palace military official would be able to shed some light on the supposed assassination attempt.

In the throne room, General Tubbs saluted to SpongeBob and spoke in a humble voice, "Your Highness. It is a pleasure to see you safe and sound."

"I know I'm safe, but I'm certainly not feeling sound." SpongeBob responded. "Do you know what happened last night?"

"Of course I do, Your Majesty. Another attack by those bottom feeders after your powerful diamond." He growled in anger. "If only my men and I were there to help you in that time of need."

SpongeBob gave a small smile and responded, "Oh, General, I'm sure you would've done all you can to help me if you were there." But then he caught something unusual that he had said before, "Wait, diamond?"

"You are still too kind, Your Majesty." General Tubbs said, nodding his head and smiling. "You are much more forgiving than your butt-kissing valet."

"Oh, yeah, I'd almost forgotten. Where's Wenston? He tried to save me last night from those horrible ninjas. I hope he's okay."

"Don't you worry, Your Majesty, my men and I will do what we can to bring him back to you safe and in one piece, provided he isn't BETRAYING YOU TO THOSE HEATHENS!" This outburst causes SpongeBob yelp and take a step back. But General Tubbs saluted and took his leave, "Your Highness."

Watching the general leave, SpongeBob gave a small smile and said, "Gee, he's such a nice guy underneath that tough exterior. But that diamond he mentioned before, I wonder if those guys from last night are really after it. It must be locked in a safe somewhere in the palace."

* * *

General Tubbs walked out of the palace and crossed the courtyard, leading to a large building next to the palace. As he walked inside through the large metal doors that opened up upon entry, he reached a small white room that looked almost like a hospital wing. He spotted a group of fish in white lab coats that were looking at clipboard and talking among themselves. General Tubbs shouted, pointing at one of them, "YOU THERE! FRONT AND CENTER!"

The third scientist that was a small yellow fish with large glasses and a dull expression on his face, walked over to the general and spoke in a bored tone, "Yes, General."

"THAT PRINCE AND THAT DIAMOND ARE STILL IN THE PALACE!" General Tubbs shouted at the top of his voice to the scientist, "WHAT IN NEPTUNE HAPPENED LAST NIGHT?!"

Scientist #3 answered, "Well, General, I think you should see for yourself." He led General Tubbs to a white curtain and pulled it back to reveal five fish in black clothing, all lying in beds, clutching their stomachs as they groan in agony with sickened looks on their faces.

"WHAT IS WITH YOU, MEN?!" He yelled to his soldiers. "YOU LOOK LIKE YOU ATE SPOILED MEAT!"

"Well, you could say that, General." Scientist #3 explained as he looked through notes on his clipboard. "Our research shows that the cause of this strange illness is a result of food poisoning. Perhaps you recall the last meal your men consumed?"

While General Tubbs wasn't the brightest, it didn't take long for him to realize that they were in Bikini Bottom when they ate lunch the previous day, and the meal his soldiers ate must've been as bad as it looked.

"OF COURSE!" he shouted angrily at the top of his voice. "This is obviously sabotage by someone who is secretly trying to protect the prince. PRIVATE!"

A sick soldier sat up from the bed, slowly got to his feet and staggered over to his general. "Yes…" he said sickly with a shaky salute. "…Sir."

"Load out the men who aren't vomiting their guts out and send them to Bikini Bottom to bring me that sorry excuse for a restaurant owner!"

"Sir, yes sir!" the private said before covering his mouth and falling on the floor while vomiting.

General Tubbs ignored his soldier's pain and stared off with his eyes narrowed, "His Highness can act oblivious, but he can't run and hide forever."

_SpongeBob is right, he is a nice guy underneath…Hope you like it and review and stick around for the next chapter._


	8. Chapter 8: Love in the Wrong Places

_This may be my favorite chapter. You'll probably see why. I just hope enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing._

Chapter 8: Love in the Wrong Places

In Bikini Bottom after the prince fled from SpongeBob's home and Patrick's company, the prince ran down the street and was just passing by the Chum Bucket. As he was running, the prince suddenly tripped and fell forward on the ground.

As he sat up, he heard the sound of groaning and turned to see the thing he tripped on was actually Plankton.

"Ugggh…" Plankton groaned as he sat up and glared at the prince. "Watch where you're going, you twit!"

The prince simply stood up and held his hand up. "As much as I'm displeased with your commoner rudeness, I'm afraid I have no time for this."

After the prince ran away, Plankton just stared at him. "That kid acts more like an idiot every time I see him."

He then saw a kid and her mother walking by and he heard the kid saying excitedly, "Mommy, that's the prince who was at Goofy Goobers last night. He's a real prince!"

"Of course he is, dear." The mother dully responded as they continued walking.

Before Plankton could give this a second thought, a spotlight suddenly shone on him and he looks up to see a helicopter hovering over him. "Huh?" he wondered as he saw a rope ladder lowered down. "What's going on?"

From out of the helicopter, two soldiers slid down the ladder and landed in front of and behind Plankton. "Oh, it's you guys." He said dully, recognizing them as some of the soldiers who had recently bought his chum. "Come all the way from Luau Bottom to sample more of my delicious chum."

In response, the soldier behind him, grabbed Plankton in his fist and picked him up. "You are arrested in the name of the king." The soldier in front of him said, pointing a finger at him, "For attempted assassination of the royal army!"

"Attempted-what?" Plankton asked, confused and frightened, screaming as the soldiers grabbed the ladder and were lifted back into the helicopter with Plankton still in their custody.

* * *

Unknowing to the royal army, the prince had managed to avoid them and stopped for a moment to catch his breath. "I wonder how far I've gone." He said, leaning on his knees. "I can't still be in Bikini Bottom."

But he looked over a hill and gasped when he saw something amazing. It was a large dome sitting in the middle of an open area and had grass and a tree inside.

"My word," he said with a hand over his mouth in astonishment. "What is that strange building? It may just hold the key to my safety."

He ran over to the dome and used all this strength to open the front door. When he opened the second door, the water around him spilled on the ground, and stared at the wet grass in bafflement. But his eyes darted upward when he stared at the sun shining above and the large tree in the middle of the room accompanied by the sounds of chirping birds.

"How stunning." He said as he walked around. "I never knew a place like this existed under the ocean. If only I could have a place like this built in the kingdom as my secret hideaway." He then wiped his forehead which seemed sweaty for some reason.

"I wonder who is responsible for this amazing décor." He asked before coughing. "I must meet the one responsible for this beauty." But before he could wonder this and look around further, he suddenly felt light-headed and fell to his knees, "What is going on?" he asked in a raspy voice as he gasped for breath. "My breath…becoming still." As he became breathless and dry, he still continued to dramatically monologue, "This place…the atmosphere…must be…toxic. Oh how a prince can go under such conditions!" He lied on the ground with bloodshot eyes as he staring at the sky. "The one day of my life in freedom…" he said in a raspier voice as his body dried out even more. "…is also my last." His eyelids fall over his eyes. "Goodbye Father…goodbye…to my kingdom." and passed out from dehydration.

* * *

Back at the palace, SpongeBob was still panicking since his last attempt to call for help ended in failure. "What am I gonna do now?" SpongeBob asked, holding the sides of his head. "The prince's father and his treasure are still in danger. There must be someone who can help me."

Suddenly, he smiled and snapped his fingers. "That's it! Sandy! She always knows what to do." He grabbed the golden phone again. "I'll give her a call."

* * *

"_SpongeBob?"_ a female southern voice asked through complete darkness, _"SpongeBob, come to!"_

While the vision was blurry at first, it became clear to see a view from inside a bowl of water and the outside, a brown-furred creature with buckteeth, wearing a bikini, was sitting in front of him.

The prince, now wearing a water helmet, gasped in horror as he sat up, breathing heavily while Sandy just stared at him.

"Phew," Sandy said with a smile of relief. "For land's sake, SpongeBob, y'all had me worried sick! How many times do I have to remind ya to wear your water helmet before waltzin' in here?"

After the prince recovered, he stared at Sandy in astonishment as his eyes dart up and down Sandy's figure. Afterwards, he grabbed Sandy's hands and said, "My dear…whatever you are, are you the one who saved my life?"

Sandy raised an eyebrow, confused by SpongeBob's behavior, as she responded, "Uhhh…sure?"

The prince pulled her hands closer as he smiled admiringly, "My lovely creature! How is it that in all my days I have never known you existed in these seven seas?"

Sandy then narrows her eyes and pulls her hands out of the prince's grasp while standing up. "O…kay. Did y'all lose more than H2O when ya walked in here?"

The prince turned his back to the squirrel and muttered to himself, "Father always demanded that I marry before I inherit the throne. But Wenston always chose bubble-headed princesses for me. However, I have finally found the bride of my choosing. A commoner yes, but a bride nonetheless."

Sandy was still baffled by SpongeBob's strange (stranger than usual) behavior since he recovered from nearly drying up from lack of water. "Uh, SpongeBob, what're you goin' on about?"

He immediately zipped in front of her and got down on one knee as he held her left paw. "Fair maiden, might I ask what your name is?"

Sandy, now feeling creeped out and offended, took a step back and snapped, "You know my name is Sandy! Now tell me what this is all about?"

"Sandy…" the prince repeated as he stood up with starry eyes. "The soft white grain you step in that warms your toes. This day gets better and better."

Before Sandy could feel more uncomfortable, her phone suddenly begins to ring and she walks over to it and picks up the receiver, "Hello?"

"_Sandy!"_ SpongeBob's voice says in the other end. _"It's me, SpongeBob!"_

Sandy's eyes widen in surprise. "SpongeBob?!" she asked, staring at the sponge that was standing next to her with a dazed smile, and hearing his voice on the phone.

"_Yes, it's me!"_ SpongeBob quickly explained, _"Listen, this is gonna be hard to believe, but I'm at the Luau Bottom castle and I'm in trouble. There are these bad guys after me and they're trying to steal a jewel that I think-"_ but the phone suddenly cut off and she could no longer hear SpongeBob's voice.

She turns her head to the right and sees the prince holding the phone cord that he unplugged and was twirling in his hand. Sandy frowned angrily and slammed the phone down before pointing at the prince. "Alright, ya phony boloney! Who are you and what've you done with SpongeBob?"

The prince sped over to Sandy and held her shoulders, "Yes, my voluptuous air breather. I am actually the heir to the throne of Luau Bottom and have switched places with the one you call 'SpongeBob'. He is currently living my comfortable life in the lap of luxury." He said as he stared longingly at her. "But he neglected to mention a creature of such beauty in his company."

While surprised by this statement, she swatted his hands off her. "If all that is true, then why did SpongeBob call here just a moment ago needin' help? Is SpongeBob in danger? And what's this about a jewel?"

"Forget about him." The prince said as he grabbed Sandy and twirled her on her back. "You are in the arms of a prince. I can get you whatever you want so long as you stay by my side as my princess."

He removed his water helmet and puckered his lips as he moved in for a kiss while Sandy simply glared and tightened her fist.

* * *

From outside, the sounds of punching and kicking were heard and the door to Sandy's treedome opened and the prince flew out with his face sliding on the ground. The prince lifts his face up, revealing a black eye and bruises. However, he gives a crooked smile and mutters, "What a woman."

Soon, the prince recovers and walks away from the treedome. He stops when he notices Squidward standing in front of a cliff painting a landscape. The prince walks over and greets, "Good afternoon, Mr. Squidward."

"Go away." Squidward dully responded with a glare while he painted.

But the prince looked over his shoulders and stared at Squidward's painting. "Oh, what a lovely landscape." He complimented, "Your brushstrokes are quite good."

Squidward raised an eyebrow in surprise as he replied, "Thanks?"

The prince held his chin as he added, "But you know what would be better? If I may," he asked, taking Squidward's brush.

Squidward watches curiously as his hated neighbor paints over his drawing. He was expecting the sponge to paint a happy sun with a rainbow in the background and jellyfish swimming over it. But Squidward's eyes widen in surprise as he sees the prince finish the painting of the beautiful landscape that almost looked as real as the one he was painting and belonged in a museum.

"SpongeBob…" Squidward said, mouth agape. "It's…it's…wonderful!"

The prince chuckled, "Well, I didn't spend two years of my youth with a private art tutor for nothing."

"I…I had no idea." Squidward said since he had known his neighbor for the longest time (too long in his opinion) and never knew he had this side of him. He sheepishly placed a tentacle behind his head and asked, "Hey SpongeBob, do you think you'd like to…hang out?" he asked, never anticipating this question to leave his mouth.

With a bow, the prince answered, "Why, I'd be delighted, my good man."

_Odd friendship and odd relationships, gah it's maddening! Please review what you think and stick around for the next chapter. If you dare!_


	9. Chapter 9: Diamonds Are Forever

_Here is the next chapter of The Prince and the Sponge. With the prince no help at all, I guess it's up to SpongeBob to save the day. Everyone is doomed, aren't they?_

_Enjoy…_

Chapter 9: Diamonds Are Forever

At the Luau Bottom Palace, SpongeBob sighed in frustration at yet another failed attempt to call for help from his friends. He also had no way of contacting the prince so he could come back and take his rightful place as heir to his father's throne, which would allow him to go back to his rightful place as head fry cook of the Krusty Krab.

"Barnacles!" SpongeBob cursed, slamming the phone on the receiver. "Now I'm going to die…as someone else." But as he glanced forward out the window to see a small city in the distance, his eyes suddenly narrow and he stood up straight. "No," he said with courage now in his voice, "I may be a prince, but I'm not gonna act like one and do nothing." He threw his crown on the floor with a clank. "I'm gonna go back to Bikini Bottom, find that handsome prince, and get my life back."

He stormed out of the room and slammed the door behind him, only to open it a second later and walk back in. "However, it would be pretty rude of me to leave the prince's sick father here when there's a terrible enemy out there trying to take out the kingdom." SpongeBob said with a guilty conscience. "If only I knew where that diamond they want is." Then he smiled with an idea, "I know. I'll find that diamond and take it with me. It'll be safe with me and I'll give it to the prince when I find him. He'll know what to do with it."

Now brimming with enthusiasm, he ran back out into the hallways to begin his treasure hunt. "Now I just gotta figure out where that diamond is." SpongeBob stopped when he noticed two directions in the hallway he can go, "In this…very large castle." He took a deep breath and exhaled, calmly saying, "Keep it together, SpongeBob. Now if I were the king, where would I keep a very valuable diamond?"

As SpongeBob pondered and pondered, he then turns around and sees a directory attached to the wall behind him. "Oh," he said with a chuckle. "Here's where I'd keep it."

After locating the direction he needed to go on the map, he quickly sprinted in that direction soon found a large solid gold vault in the wall. "Ooh," SpongeBob said in excitement. "This definitely looks like a safe spot to keep a diamond, because it's _a safe_. Ha ah ah ah ah!"

He grabbed the knob and struggled to turn it open. It was a lot larger than Sandy's door and a lot heavier. After using what little strength he had, he miraculously got it unlocked and pushed it open. The inside of the vault made SpongeBob's eyes sparkle in amazement. From the floor to the walls and ceilings were filled with gold coins and jewels.

"Whoa," SpongeBob said as he stepped inside. "Mr. Krabs would keel over if he saw this, ha ah ah ah! Now I wonder which of these is the diamond."

He waded his way through the treasure until he got to the middle of the safe and spots a particular large white diamond the size of a boulder sitting in the middle of the treasure on a large stand.

"Ah ha!" SpongeBob yelled in triumph. "I got you, ya pretty-looking diamond." He rushed over and lifted it off the stand. It proved to be a bad idea as the weight of the diamond fell on top of SpongeBob and sent both of them tumbling down the treasure and out of the safe.

SpongeBob groaned in pain as he looked at the large diamond a few feet away from him. "Ughhh, still looks good." He was worried that he had broken the diamond.

He went over to the large diamond and used all his strength to lift the large diamond on his back. SpongeBob grunted, slouched over and he moved his shaky legs one step at a time to move himself and the diamond out of the castle.

"Boy…" he said in a strained voice. "I can't imagine why anyone would go through the trouble of trying to steal this thing."

"Your Majesty?" SpongeBob yelped in shock and dropped the diamond off his back as he stood up; fearing he had been caught stealing the palace's prized item. He turned to see a palace servant carrying a tray with a teapot. "What are you doing?" the kindly female fish asked.

"Oh, uh…" SpongeBob stammered, trying to think of an excuse as to not get sent to jail for stealing the palace's treasure and possibly being found out as an imposter. "I was just…doing my father a favor and moving his precious diamond to a better spot."

The servant just giggled and cheerfully responded, "Well, if it'll keep it from being stolen. I was just here to bring you some refreshing tea. Wenston asked me to bring it to you. He apologizes for his absence."

"Hey thanks." SpongeBob said, taking to small tea cup as he servant pours some tea into it. "I can use this." He chugs it down and places the cup back on the tray before the servant walks away. Once she was gone, SpongeBob gave a relaxing sigh. "Now that I'm refreshed it's time to move on."

He picked up the diamond back on his back and moved forward to the castle doors. SpongeBob's forehead sweats as he lugs the large diamond all the way through the palace gates. He breathes heavily as slowly made his way to the town. "I wonder if there's a bus that can take me to Bikini Bottom." He wondered to himself.

As SpongeBob moves, he notices his vision start to get blurry and his head start to spin around. He stops for a moment to catch his breath, and he shakes his head and rubs his eyes. "I feel so sleepy all of a sudden." But he shoots his eyelids open and scowls in determination. "No! I can't nap now. I gotta go!"

Fast shadows jumped from rooftop to rooftop over SpongeBob's head as the sponge continues to carry the diamond away. But he did not get very far as SpongeBob's legs suddenly become wobbly and his eyelids began to drop further down his eyes, impairing his vision. Afterwards, SpongeBob felt like he couldn't take another step and just fell onto the street, dropping the diamond and holding his forehead.

He made a big yawn as he sat on the ground. "So tired…" he groaned while trying to stay awake, "But why?"

Suddenly, two ninjas suddenly land in front of him, causing his eyes to widen in shock. "Hey!" SpongeBob said with alertness in his voice. "It's you guys again."

The ninjas make silly poses to intimidate SpongeBob, as one of them said in a familiar voice, "Ha! See?" and the right ninja lowered part of her mask down to reveal that it was actually the kindly servant who served him tea not too long ago, "I told you it would work."

While horrified by the deception of being given a tea that hindered him, SpongeBob moved himself directly in front of the diamond with his arms held out over it for protection. "Oh, no!" SpongeBob yelled angrily. "I'm not letting you take the king's diamond! You'll have to do something to…to…" however, the poisoned tea was beginning to take more effect on him and he just felt more and more drowsy. "…me…before I…" and slid to the ground.

The two ninjas look at each other and silently shrug before slowly approaching SpongeBob. Suddenly, a third ninja dropped down from the left and kicked the large diamond across the way as he landed behind the incapacitated SpongeBob.

"The diamond." SpongeBob said with a yawn. "What about the diamond?" But before he could get his answer, SpongeBob immediately fell into a deep sleep.

But the two ninjas seemed less concerned with the diamond and more concerned with apprehending SpongeBob as they surrounded him.

* * *

After who knows how long, SpongeBob soon began to regain consciousness and opened his eyes. "Uggh…" he groaned, disoriented from the tea that knocked him out. "What happened?"

His vision was still blurry, but can subtly make out that he was in what looked like a science lab. He looked down at himself and noticed he was strapped upward onto a table- and on top of that was nude. "Hey, my clothes are gone…" he groaned carelessly, since he was too groggy to realize he was in potential danger. "What'd Gary do to them?"

He looked down ahead and spotted a small fish in a white coat, standing at a table, looking at a clipboard with his back turned to the trapped sponge. "Mister!" SpongeBob called out to him in a strained voice, "Hey Mister! Can you help me find…snail?"

The fish turned around, revealing he was actually Scientist #3 as he stared at SpongeBob with a bored look. "Struggle all you want, Your Highness." He walked over to SpongeBob while writing on his clipboard. "You should already understand the reason you are here. However, whatever that soldier put in your tea still seems to be taking affect."

"Oh," SpongeBob said with his eyes going cross-eyed and a ditzy chuckle. "A spy interrogation." he enthusiastically guessed. "I like…spy movies."

Scientist #3 seemed baffled by this answer, but dully responded, "No."

"A fire drill."

"No."

"Two Cents off Ketchup Day at Krusty Krab."

"NO!" Scientist #3 yelled, nearly losing his temper. "You are here so we can get that gem!"

"Gem?" SpongeBob questioned, looking like he'd pass out again at any minute. "Diamond? Nice try, but they forget diamond! I…don't even know where it is right now…I forget it too."

Scientist #3 simply kicked the table downward, leaving SpongeBob on his back with his eyes looking at the ceiling. "You bemuse me, Your Highness, surely you know the only gem I want…" he stood next to SpongeBob and looked down at him with a cunning smirk, "…is the one you possess."

SpongeBob looked up at him, shaking in fright on the cold metal table. However, he still seemed completely unaware of what was going on as he responded, "Mommy, I need a blanky."

Suddenly, General Tubbs came into view and stared down at SpongeBob with a cold smile. "I apologize for this, Your Highness, but as much as it pains me to go against your father's wishes, I'm afraid we must extract that gem."

SpongeBob blinked a few times, his vision still a bit blurry, and gained some of his alertness as he stared at General Tubbs. "What…What gem?"

"Don't you play fatuous with me, prince. You knew very well this day would come." Scientist #3 said as he pulled down his rubber gloves. "We are going to take that gem out of you, and we are going to do it…" still smirking, he held up a small knife. "…the easy way."

Seeing the sharp instrument would normally send SpongeBob into a fit of fright and horror, but since he was drugged out of his mind, he moaned and chuckled, "Digging for gems…like a treasure hunt."

Another scientist approaches the table and draws a large X on SpongeBob stomach as if marking where they would need to cut. This only made SpongeBob giggle some more, "Hey that tickles."

Scientist #3 then holds the knife close to SpongeBob's stomach and is about to slice him open while the general watches in anticipation, until a deep voice yells, "HEY! LET ME GO!"

"Hold it!" General Tubbs told the scientists, stopping the surgery on the dazed sponge.

He walks away from the operating table and goes over to one of his soldiers to see them holding Plankton in their grasp. "We've acquired the assassin." The soldier told him.

"Assassin?" Plankton questioned, "What is the meaning of this?"

"SILENCE!" General Tubbs shouted at Plankton before turning his attention to the soldier. "Take him to the dungeon for now. We're this close to getting that diamond from the prince."

But then, SpongeBob's yawning was heard again and the general turns and stares to see SpongeBob groaning, "Is it morning already?"

Plankton tries to peek over as far as his eye could see, recognizing the voice, "SpongeBob?"

SpongeBob then arches his head forward and sees a blurry vision of what he can only assume is Plankton, even if he was too tiny for his tired eyes to make out. "Plankton?" he asks before waving his hand from his restrained arms. "How are you doing, buddy?"

"What?" General Tubbs asked in surprise, glaring at Plankton, "You know His Majesty?"

Plankton was just stared in confusion while SpongeBob yawned again and said in a tired voice, "Of course I know him. He's in Bikini Bottom…with the prince, and I'm here…as the prince."

Right after giving away this crucial information, SpongeBob simply dozed off into another deep sleep and General Tubbs furiously yelled at Plankton, "WHAT IS THAT SPATTERING NONSENSE!"

"I-I-I don't know!" Plankton stammered. "That's SpongeBob! I saw him only this morning and he…"

"General!" Scientist #3 calls and lifts the stand table up pulls down a large screen in front of SpongeBob, turning it on to show an x-ray of the sponge's insides. "The diamond is not present! It's nowhere within him!"

"WHAT?! General Tubbs yells in shock. "But that's impossible! Are you telling me we have an imposter instead of our prince?!"

"Imposter? Prince? Diamond?" Plankton repeated in wonder until his face begins to smirk after putting the pieces together. "Oh General," he coolly says, "I think I know just the guy you're looking for."

General Tubbs glared at Plankton and responded, "Explain peasant."

"Why don't you and I talk and I can tell you exactly where your prince is for say…a small price."

_The secret is revealed and if the prince doesn't get back, SpongeBob will be gutted. How violent! Hope you enjoyed this chapter and stick around for the next one. _


End file.
